Federal judge challenges Trump travel ban

The jury is still out on President Trump’s travel ban, as a federal judge has once again temporarily prevented the ban from proceeding.

On Tuesday, one day before the ban was supposed to take effect, Judge Derrick Watson, a member of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, criticized the Trump administration for failing to address concerns he and other judges had about the ban. The ban was set to bar immigrants from eight countries: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia, and Yemen.

This is the third set of travel restrictions to be thwarted, in part or as a whole, by the judicial system. The Supreme Court was scheduled to review the second iteration of the ban at the time that the third one was issued, and it will likely direct its focus to the third version as well.

The ruling comes after the original travel ban underwent revision and scrutiny as the Trump administration conducted a worldwide review of vetting procedures. According to Watson, their efforts have not been enough.

The University has stood in opposition to Trump’s travel bans in the past. In February, President Christopher Eisgruber ’83 joined 47 other college and university presidents from across the country in sending a letter to President Trump urging him to “rectify or rescind” his order. Serving as a “friend of the court,” the University filed amicus briefs against the travel ban twice, first in March and then again in September. Eisgruber and the other university presidents stated that the ban prevents law-abiding and talented students from reaching their campuses.

Notably, the judge’s ruling affects only the six majority Muslim countries from the list, and does not apply to the restrictions against North Korea or Venezuela. Watson said he would set an expedited hearing to determine whether the temporary restriction should be extended.